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About the foundation

The Michael Botte Foundation was established in memory of Michael Botte, a well known advocate of technology in education. In 2011 at the age of 40, Mike was diagnosed with a rare form of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Mike immediately underwent treatment and was showered with support from everyone he knew. Mike fought with the same upbeat and courageous spirit with which he lived his life. Despite his fighting spirit, Mike tragically lost his battle 8 weeks later. At the time of his death, Mike’s wife Jennifer was 7 months pregnant with their son, and their daughter had just turned two. MIke was also survived by his parents, his sister Danielle, his brother Peter, nieces and nephews, many cousins and extended family members, colleagues and friends.

Everyone who had the good fortune to know Mike was awed by his zest for life, his love of family and passion for Discovery. Mike had the unique ability to captivate everyone he met with his sweet spirit, his unbelievably kind and thoughtful personality and infectious charm. Mike never met a stranger, could win over any client, and eagerly welcomed everyone he met into his inner circle.

Mike started his Discovery career in March of 1998 in Domestic Distribution, traveling up and down the east coast securing carriage for Discovery’s family of networks. After a stint in Charlotte, Mike and Jennifer relocated to LA where Mike took on the role of Director, Digital Sales for Discovery Education. Mike worked with school districts far and wide to bring the magic of Discovery to classrooms, engaging students with digital media to fuel their academic achievement. One of his proudest accomplishments was inking a deal that provided Discovery Education services and educator training to every school in the state of Hawaii. That implementation has improved, and will continue to impact, the education of Hawaiian students for years to come. Most recently, Mike served as Vice President of Corporate Partnerships, leading collaboration with Fortune 500 companies, foundation and nonprofits to build sponsored community engagement programs designed to support students in underresourced areas such as sustainability, literacy, health & wellness, environmental and character education.

Jennifer founded the Michael Botte Foundation in December 2012, along with several close friends and colleagues. The foundation continues Mike’s passion for education and his willingness to make a difference in students’ lives.